The Chambermaid

Our hunger for stories is the fuel that drives this charming French film by Spanish director Bigas Luna (best known for his caustic black comedy Jamón, Jamón). Horty (Martinez), a poor foundry worker in northern France, wins an athletic contest sponsored by his company. It being 1912, the prize is a trip to England to see the Titanic set sail. The only catch is that the ticket is for one person, which means that Horty must leave behind his beautiful wife Zoe (Bohringer), and he suspects that his boss has more than a passing interest in his wife. While settling into his posh Southampton hotel, there is a knock on Horty's door and a young woman in a maid's uniform (Sánchez-Gijón) explains that she is sailing on the Titanic the next morning and needs a place to stay for the night. He donates his bed to her and although their night together is chaste, Horty is beset with vivid dreams and awakes to find her gone. The next morning as the ship is setting sail, he sees a photographer taking the chambermaid's picture and he accosts him for the photo. Back home, his friends at the local bar pester him for stories of the woman in the picture and he readily complies. His tales grow more elaborate by the day until the bar is packed with customers. One day, a traveling actor named Zeppe (Maccione) convinces Horty to join him on the road as a professional storyteller and a new career is launched. Tension has been building between Horty and Zoe because he's suspicious of the job promotion he received upon his return from England and she is jealous of the woman in his stories. Horty's stories gain the strength of reality for him as audiences continue to hang on his every word and he creates a fantasy life that's much richer than anything resembling his real life. Zoe also sees that she will always pale when compared to this fantasy woman. Yet the stories are what allows them to improve their lives and enrich their imaginations. The performances in The Chambermaid are engaging and we, too, become wrapped up in Horty's stories and in figuring out the separation between reality and fantasy. The film's themes are particularly rich in this time of renewed Titanic media frenzy.